As we have never had a Share Your Creativity submission quite like Eryka's, it was a treat to have her answer a few questions we had about her distinctive designs.

Read about Eryka and her Stardream Bronze Shoes and Handbags below:

Eryka, browsing through your web site, I gather that you have many creative talents. Please begin by telling me about Eryka's Place and the variety of artistic designs that you offer.

I love the creative process. Eryka's Place was developed to showcase and share my creations.

My obsession is decoupage, the creation of an image or abstract using paper, or leaves or fabric. When you apply enough varnish the background and paper edges seems to disappear and you achieve this glass like finish. I use this technique to create earrings and pendants using Japanese Papers for the fabulous colors and patterns, which are almost, like fabric. Currently, I am experimenting with making my own handmade paper to use on my jewelry. The results are tremendously textured and very unique. I am one of very few artists who create decoupage jewelry.

A close second in the obsession world would be flame glass bead work. You take a rod of glass about as thick as a drinking straw, this is melted in an open-flame from what looks a bit like Bunsen burner. When the glass is hot enough it melts to the consistency of treacle. The glass then flows and this is when the magic happens. The molten glass in the flame is almost hypnotic. You blend the different glasses; add dots and swirls to create your own individual piece. You never get two the same and that is the appeal.

Silk scarves are one of my latest ventures; I love the way the paint flows on the silk, I love the bright and bold colors.

I am currently playing with paper quilting, just like the real thing, only you use paper and it is on a much smaller scale. I use mostly Japanese paper, and for plain colors Stardream works well. I use this and other techniques to create greeting cards and designs to frame.

Still at the experimental stage, but working well are wrist cuffs. These aluminum cuffs are about 4cm wide, and I am decoupaging them with Japanese paper, lace and other materials.

Let’s discuss your submissions. They are absolutely beautiful, and are both truly one of a kind. They are perfect examples of how blank stock can be transformed into amazing designs with a bit of creativity and imagination. Let’s begin with the bronze jewelry bags. Will you discuss how the ideas for this design came together?

I belong to a group of flame glass bead makers that come under the Fiery Porpoise banner and we had been invited to display and sell our jewelry at the opening of the Belconnen Arts Center. I have been working closely with these artists creating individual signature packaging options. We wanted upmarket packaging to suit our upmarket image. However we do not make much money so wanted something exquisite but cheap. This was a very tall order.

I have an engineering background. In a previous life I drew up air condition ductwork for large government buildings. If I can see it in my minds eye I can generally come up with a construction drawing. There were several designs created.

The handbag is really just a box, with the sides extended to form the handles. I wanted something cute that could be reused. I had a client with me when the postman delivered a package of the bronze Stardream. She fell in love with the color and could see her creations in them finished off with hot pink tissue paper.

What tools did you use to create these bags?

I use a Craftrobo lite, (known as a Wishblade in the USA) which is connected to my computer. It is really just like a small printer, but instead of printing lines it has a small blade and actually cuts the designs out. You could do it with a pair of scissors but I can cut the same design, exactly the same every time. The software provided is much more basic than AutoCad or Microstation, the most popular CADD packages used in Industry. I can draw designs in Autocad and the import them to Craftrobo. This is useful for more complicated designs. Using my Craftrobo there are many restrictions. The paper must be A4 or smaller. The paper must be less than 0.3mm thick, no plastic coating or white core, or the designs are difficult to extract from the paper. My designs require bending, creasing and interlocking of pieces, so the paper must be sturdy. Most importantly I want a large range of fabulous colors; so guess why Stardream is my favorite paper.

I am eager to discuss your next submission, the Stardream bronze shoes gift box! We have never had a Share Your Creativity submission quite like this; truly awesome! Where did you get the inspiration for such a unique design? Were theses shoes created for a client as well?

Among my friends and family I am known as Imelda (as in Imelda Marcos with the shoe fetish). When I got my Craftrobo I wanted to create everything including shoes, handbags and more. I surfed the net, looking at shoes and patterns. There were a few patterns, but they were rather boxy. The pattern just evolved by trial and error, but my engineering background did help.

I would use them as a small gift on their own decorated with beads, or with a small gift, such as a bottle of perfume attached. When working on the packaging ideas I thought it would be nice to have a storage area for jewelry. I tried using the heel but shoe became too boxy, so I created a storage box in the toe area, and this works really well. Once I have a pattern I can recreate them in any size as long as it smaller that A4.

Will you share with us the process of creating this design?

As I said I am known as Imelda, and I have a modest collection of shoes (about 80 pairs, now that is modest, is it not?) so I took a few pairs of shoes, studied their shape and construction and broke the design down to geometric sections. Sort of squares and triangles, from this I came up with a sketch, which I converted to a pattern. There was great deal of trial and error. The first shoe was so boxy and chunky. The design was refined giving a slimmer heel, more shape to the upper; well they must look nice enough to wear.

Stardream is a beautiful stock, and as you have shown us, very versatile. Is this a stock you use frequently?

I find paper the perfect medium. It is versatile, inexpensive, and the choice of colors and patterns are limitless.

Stardream is an ideal paper for my creative outlets. Apart from packaging, I use it for some of my earrings, pendants, greeting cards, scrapbook embellishments, cup cake wrappers and paper quilting.

Thank you Eryka, for sharing your unique designs and creative ideas with us.

If you would like to submit a design of your own, please visit our Share Your Creativity page for more information.

Kristen Desrosier

In this article you will learn how to create a custom glider invitation ensemble for your own important event.

Glider Invitations: The Basic Components

1. Choose Your Glider Card

Gliding backing cards measure 5 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high. Select from a variety of colors and finishes that include smooth, metallic, and textured. Choose the backing card that conveys the mood of your event.

2. Choose Your Printable Invitation Insert Card

These 4 3/8" wide by 7 3/4" high invitation insert cards are available in ecru and radiant white, and will slide through the slots in the glider backing card. Select the insert card that compliments the color of your backing card.

3. Choose Your Invitation Envelopes

Glider backer cards fit into invitation envelopes measuring 8 3/4" wide by 5 3/4" high (A9 size). In terms of color, it is customary to choose an envelope that matches the invitation card or backer card you have chosen, but this rule certainly is not set in stone. Choose from an extensive variety of colors, textures, and finishes to find the envelope you prefer. However, if it is important that your envelope matches your glider, you may consider choosing your envelope first.

4. Print Your Invitation Card

The weight and finish of the invitation insert cards allows them to run smoothly through most home printers. Download a free Word template with step by step printing instructions:

Download Invitation Printing Template

Need some suggestions for wording? See our Sample Invitation Wording.

5. Insert Your Invitation Card

Being careful not to damage the corners of your invitation card, slowly guide the card through the top slits, as shown below.

6. Embellish with Decorative Brads & Invitation Bows

Glider invitations often look nice with a small embellishment in the middle of the band. Browse through LCI's collection of self adhesive bows and invitation brads to see if something catches your creative eye.




That is all there is to it; you have just assembled a unique glider invitation ensemble, customized to fit the mood of your event!

Recommended Links:
How To Video: Embellish DIY Invitations with Simple Tools, Decorative Brads

Stardream Crystal Business Cards

Earlier this week, I saw this Tweet from RedMonkeyPress:

With Twitter's short, 140 character limit, I've learned that a little research and some knowledge of the subject matter is required to decipher certain Tweets. First, "Crystal-colored Stardream" is a brand and color of specialty paper with a metallic finish. With the keywords "wait 24 hours" and "smudging ink" in mind, I deduced that this person had made a previous attempt to print on Stardream stock with an inkjet printer and had smudged the ink by handling the paper before the ink had dried. With a few more clicks on RedMonkeyPress's Twitter profile I could see that at least two of her designs on Red Monkey Press featured inkjet printed Stardream card stock, so evidently she was printing these business cards the same way. What pleased me is that she overcame the challenge and seemed to be relieved that it worked. I was happy to read a success story about Stardream inkjet printing at home. It reminded me of another success story that my co-worker, Barry Levine, had told me about just a few days earlier.

Stardream Envelopes

Barry was working on a personal project and was trying to match a certain Pantone color, 272 C, for printing on Crystal Stardream envelopes. At first, he tried to match the color by printing with his color laser printer, but he wasn't happy with the results. He decided to experiment and test with his Canon Pixma MP600 inkjet printer. His inkjet allows for more accurate color matching than his color laser, but up until this moment, had not been tested with Stardream metallic paper.

Barry was thrilled when he saw that his Canon inkjet printer not only printed the correct color on the envelope, but also printed without smearing. As an extra bonus, the ink was completely dry as soon as he took it from the printer output tray and rubbed his fingers over the printing.

A9 Stardream Opal Envelopes

I was also excited about the thought of inkjet printing on Stardream, so I tested an envelope in our Epson Stylus Photo R1900 that I reviewed in November 2009. I printed brown ink on an A9 Stardream Opal envelope. The results were mixed. The ink did not smear and the text was sharp, but under saturated.

For most eyes, especially at a normal viewing distance, the quality would probably be acceptable. When I ran my fingers over the text, there was no smudging. The ink was absolutely dry.

Experiment and Test at Home

After reading about these printing examples, you too may want to consider testing metallic specialty papers in your inkjet printer. See the results for yourself. Touch the printed ink and see if it smudges. With more testing, you'll be able to determine about how much time the particular paper needs to dry. On certain inkjet printers, the ink might never properly adhere. On others, you may find that the ink has fully adhered and is completely dry to the touch seconds after printing. Plus, you may achieve better color matching that you would on a color laser printer. Does a thicker card stock mean the ink might take longer to dry? Do certain ink colors look more saturated on certain color metallic papers? You can learn a lot by ordering samples and testing.

We'd love to read about your home printing experiences with metallic specialty papers on both laser and inkjet printers. If you'd like to share, post a comment here so that we can interact with you.

When Darius Walker wanted his company’s business cards to stand out, he called LCI Paper Company and spoke to Barry Levine who suggested Stardream paper. Darius ordered a sample of the Stardream and was thrilled when he saw it in person. Later, he mailed one of his printed business cards as a submission for our Share Your Creativity program and spoke to me on the phone about the whole process. I think you’ll enjoy hearing his enthusiasm for the Onyx card stock.

To save the audio to your computer, right click and "save as."

Here is a transcript of the interview:

I really want to get into why you chose the Stardream Onyx. It’s a black metallic card stock and printing on the stock would present a number of challenges for a lot of people. First, it’s a heavy, thick card stock. Second, it has that metallic finish. And third, it has a dark finish. How did you decide on the stock and how did you overcome the printing challenges?

We not only wanted a unique card, but a high quality unique card. And what actually happened first was that I bought the paper in the business card shaped cutouts. I saw it was very cheap for me to buy it where I could just get forty little business card sized sheets of it. So I bought that as a tester, if you will, to see just exactly what kind of quality this card is, how flexible is it, is it thick enough...all these things first. After I got that was when I decided that this was going to be the right paper to use.

Now, when we thought of doing business cards, again, we said we wanted something unique, but I think we knew that we wanted to use black paper. The interesting part is when most people get black printed business cards done, they print them on white paper. They spray it out with a whole bunch of black ink onto white paper. Well, what this does over the long run is the corners of your business cards start to fold and it doesn’t look as good. So instead of doing the brush ink over the white paper, we knew we wanted to use black paper. And we took it a step further to actually use the Onyx because the Onyx kind of has that metallic look as well.

And what about the printing? Did you farm it out to a professional printer?

Yes, yes, we actually did. We had to shop around for that because not very many places can print on the black paper let alone do some of the designs and stuff that we wanted on our cards. So we actually ended up finding a place that said that they could do it. We thought about two different things. We thought about using blue ink on the card first but then soon we realized that the blue ink was not going to work because it wouldn’t show up as well. That’s when we decided to use the gold and silver which is what you see on our card now. What we again thought about, we were going to use raised lettering first. We decided not to go with the raised lettering because it didn’t really do too much extra for the card. The card itself and the paper itself was so unique and different that we really didn’t have to do anything extra to it besides put our information on there. The beautiful thing about using the Onyx paper was it was already so cool and so interesting and so different from what everybody else had, all we had to do was just make sure that we could get our information on there and it could be read.

You’re good Darius. Are you a marketing guy too?

I am, yes. Our company... (laughter) Our company is an engagement marketing firm. It’s A’Dunte & Associates. A’Dunte is my middle name and what we specialize in is engagement marketing. If you really look at advertising now, you will see that one way communication advertising is dead. And what I mean by one way communication advertising, I mean simply creating a mailing list and sending out some cool, creative brochures to your target audience is just not going to work anymore. When people evaluate people’s brochures and potential customers look at your different web sites, they form their own opinion about it, right? There’s nothing you can do. They will form an opinion about it regardless. And so what we have created is an engagement process which really is one that collectively gives your company or your brand, should we say, mechanisms to actually interact with people talking about your brand discussion. You actually have a vital role in your brand discussion. So you’re telling people about your brand. You’re giving them the insight of why it actually has high quality and then getting a response from them. We do a listen and response type process where we listen to what you’re saying about our brand, we respond to it, then we tell you something and you respond back to us. So it’s an engagement process. It’s a two way street. And that’s really the only way that advertising can work now a days because there’s so many options out there. People are using the internet. They can find out about a company in two seconds by typing it in on Google. We really focus on trying to interact with your audience so that you have an active role in your brand discussion.

Is this a fairly new business? It’s definitely a business for the modern age.

Right, yes, yes. Well we’ve been in business a little over a year now. We’re definitely way ahead of the curve in our thinking and our logic. And I think we know that too and we really try to use that to our advantage because we are ahead of the curve and we definitely are a company that is future focused.

And folks can visit you at ADunte.com, is that right?

Yes.

Any anecdotes about your interaction with Barry? He approached me that you’d be a good candidate for this, so do you have any impressions of him?

Yes, I have a wonderful impression of Barry. He really did a great job. When I actually called and talked to Barry, I was one of those customers who was calling confused. I had no idea what I wanted. I had no idea what type, thickness, or quality of paper, none of that, and Barry really broke it down in layman’s terms for me. So it really helped me to discover what we were actually looking for and what we actually needed. He said, “Hey, check out a sample of something and see if you like it. I really think this paper might be good for you.” I did so and was thrilled and I have just been ecstatic about these cards ever since.

We especially appreciate you guys thinking of our company for a podcast or anything like this. It really, truly is an honor to be considered for this.

--
Thank you Darius. And thanks to everyone that listens and subscribes to the LCI Paper Podcast. We hope you’re inspired by people like Darius Walker who use our blank stock in interesting ways. If you have comments about Darius' experience or you'd like to share your own business card story, post a comment! We'd love to read your feedback and interact with you.

Recommended Link:
Stardream Onyx Business Cards

Joshua Birch

Simple A9 backer cards with slits for insert cards, gliders are an easy way to create unique invitations and menus for all occasions. Easy to dress up with simply embellishments like stylish decorative brads or self stick bows

Why not try a chic Stardream Antique Gold Glider Card for a fiftieth anniversary invitation, or a bright Stardream Azalea Glider Card as a fun Bat Mitzvah menu card?

View the new Stardream glider cards for yourself, and see what your imagination creates.

Recommended Link:
Glider Menu Card Kits for Weddings

Kristen Desrosier

To order the new card stock, or any LCI brand card stock or paper, simply navigate to the LCI Card Stock & Papers page by hovering over "Specialty Paper" as shown below.

To place your order, begin by selecting "Card Stock" or "Text Paper" from the menu to the right of the product photo, as shown below.

Next, from the same drop down menu, select the size you need. Please note, new 65 pound card stock is available only in 8.5 x 11 and 11 x 17 sizes.

Continue by selecting radiant white or ecru.

Last, select the weight you need.

If you are more comfortable with weight in grams, please view the pound to gram conversion chart below.

Kristen Desrosier

	Azalea 6 1/2 Square Envelope
	Fairway 6 1/2 Square Envelope
	Lagoon 6 1/2 Square Envelope
	Lapis Lazuli 6 1/2 Square Envelope

Recommended Links:
Learn More About Stardream Papers

Kristen Desrosier

LCI Paper's Jumbo Stellar White Linen Double Wedding Envelopes are now available with black lining. Previously available in pearl, silver, and unlined options, the new black lined white linen wedding envelope fits in nicely with the traditional color palette. The combination of the subtly textured white linen envelope and the rich black enamel lining makes for a classic and sophisticated presentation, ideal for a black tie affair.

Recommended Links:
Wedding Envelopes: Lined, Double, Single - How To Choose?

Kristen Desrosier

We also offer custom printed napkins specifically for Bar and Bat Mitzvah events. See the Designer Collection Bar Mitzvah Napkins.

Learn how easy it is to customize your napkins:

(1) Choose Collection

Start by selecting Budget Collection or Designer Collection as shown here:

The Designer Collection is slightly more expensive because it offers over 45 napkin colors and additional options for customization. Here is a chart detailing the differences and similarities of the two collections:

(2) Choose Napkin Size

Select either 5" size beverage napkins or 6 1/2" size luncheon napkins.

(3) Choose Napkin Color

Now the fun begins! Click on the different color swatches to see a live preview of each napkin color that you're interested in. The Designer Collection, with over 45 napkin color choices is shown below. The Budget Collection offers just over 20 colors.

When you've decided on a napkin color, click the Customize button.

(4) Personalize Your Napkins

Carefully enter the personal information that you'd like to appear on your napkins--first names and event date.

If you have selected napkins from the Designer Collection, you will be able to choose from dozens of foil colors while Budget Collection offers fewer imprint colors. Click the "view" link to see the available colors.

If your napkin choice is from the Designer Collection, you will be able to choose from more than 20 type styles (fonts) to be used in the printing. Click the "view" link to see the available type styles.

The final piece of personalization is the motif. This is the graphic that, along with your other choices, will help to portray the theme and mood of your event. Motif choices vary between the Designer and Budget collections. Click the "view" link to see the available motifs.

(5) Choose Quantity

Finish your napkin order by entering the number of packs and clicking the "add to cart" button. The minimum order (1) is selected by default. Napkins are available in multiples of 100, so 1 pack gives you 100 napkins, 2 packs give you 200 napkins, and so on.

(6) Review Your Napkin Customization Choices

When you add your personalized napkins to your cart, you can click the "Your Cart" link to see your napkins and the specific personalization you chose. Carefully review this information to make sure that it is correct. You will also be able to review your customization when you check out.

LCI Paper's Personalized Wedding Napkins are an inexpensive and easy way to add decor and personality to your special event!

Joshua Birch

Like all of LCI's DIY Pochette Invitation Kits, the four new Deckle Edge Kits are easy to print, assemble, and embellish at home. In addition, the kits are sold in convenient, all inclusive ten packs, and have free Word templates available for download, making it simple to create a unique look all your own.

Why not wow your guests with an elegant pochette invitation ensemble?

View these, and all of LCI's Pochette Invitation Kits at LCIpaper.com.

Recommended Link:
Video: How to Make LCI's Silver Azalea Wedding Pochette



Kristen Desrosier

LCI Paper is now carrying new hand-held craft punch for making invitations.

You will learn how to use our 1/16 of an inch round hole punch to quickly and easily start holes to insert decorative metal brads.

Brads are great for decorating and securing the layers of menus, programs, invitations, or any creative project that comes to mind. In this video, we will decorate and secure the layers of a glider invitation ensemble and a DIY Slim Invitation Kit.

We'll begin with our Black Metallic Glider Invitation Kit.

Measure your card to find the center where you will place your brad. Make a small pencil mark where you will punch the hole for your brad post.

Next, line up the round hole punch with the pencil mark, and squeeze the handles of the hole punch firmly to make a small hole for your post.

Ensuring the holes of both invitation layers are aligned, lay the decorative portion of the brad over the hole in the card so that you may insert the post, as shown.

Flip the card over to secure the brad. Adjust the brad accordingly.

Watch again as we secure the three layers of our DIY Rosa Slim Invitation Kit.

After measuring to determine where the floral brad will be placed, simply hold the three layers in place while using the punch to pierce through them.

Again, holding the layers securely in place, line up the brad and insert the post, as shown in the video.

Flip the card over to secure the brad closed, and that’s it! With no messy glue, you have quickly and easily assembled a tasteful layered invitation!

Recommended Link:
Watch our other How To Videos

Joshua Birch

Amy Roszak, creator of The Perfect Printing Pouch and other magical craft products, recently exhibited at the Craft & Hobby Association’s 2010 Winter Convention & Trade Show in Anaheim, California and was nice enough to tell us about her experience at the show in an interview that we recorded last week.

To save the audio to your computer, right click and "save as."

Here is a transcript of the interview:

Well, as far as the booth goes, I was at an end of an isle which was a great location.

Good.

Still, a lot of people don’t know who I am, what we make so often they would stop and kind of look and I’d have to kind of invite them in. And then once they would start seeing it, literally, their mouths drop as they go, “Oh my god!” There was one time when two people said it at the exact same time and the three of us just cracked up because it was like, you know, that should have been on film. So the reactions are always really positive and really fun to see people who had never seen the products see them in action.

I didn’t actually get out of my booth but maybe twice. So I didn’t get to see an awful lot that was out and about. I can say it looked a lot smaller that in past years. Although I got an e-mail today from CHA saying that it was bigger.

I guess you would know, is a booth quite expensive?

Well, it’s all relative I guess.

Of course.

I have a fairly small booth. I think it’s a pretty expensive undertaking especially for some of the bigger companies. They have larger booths and they have more people in the booths and they go to quite a big expense in making the booths look like little stores and I really don’t do that. I’m more into showing people how to use my products or answer questions about their crafting in general.

Well, you had just a minute ago mentioned there should have been a video camera. But craft fans can catch a glimpse of the show and learn more about you and your products through a video on YouTube right now featured you being interviewed by Donna of Custom Crops.

That was really fun actually. (laughter) When they stopped by and asked if they could video, first they came by and they just saw it; their eyes were just popping. And then they asked if they could come back and they came back with a full crew. And Donna who interviewed me was just adorable. She also just kept going, “Oh really!” You know, just really excited... So that was fun. And it wasn’t that she was putting it on, it was just it’s fun to watch that.

Yeah, you can see that it is genuine. Videos like that are proof of why it makes sense to display at a convention like this because you got this great promotion out of it. That will be up on YouTube forever, and who knows how many hundreds, if not more, are going to be watching that.

I agree and I actually use that to try and explain it. It’s one thing if you have products that everybody knows about or understands how to use them just because of what they’re called, if they’re a punch or whatever. But when you have fairly innovative products that don’t have...it doesn’t bring into mind what they are just by saying their name, then a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Do you want to talk at all about the benefits of being at the CHA’s shows every year?

Sure, yeah. Some of it is absolutely sales at the show, but I really think that a big part of it comes after the show and that would be from press, you know, people like you Josh, you know, calling and saying, “What’s going on?” Maybe I saw them at the show. Other companies, possibly international, that will be ordering—cause it takes some people longer to go back and process it—and I think the interaction from other companies. There’s a number of companies that I saw at the show that possibly will be picking up my product—or could be. And like I said, I rarely got out of my booth, but when I did, it was mostly to talk specifically to other companies. And I really don’t have that opportunity unless you’re at a show like that.

Yep. Let’s talk about the other video...

(laughter)

...that you directed me to on Vimeo.com and it features you promoting the Perfect Printing Pouch and your other products and your angle was a magic act. And you had told me last time, I think after our really great, in-depth, two part interview that this sort of thing, the marketing or the promotion side, kind of stepping out and being the face of the product, isn’t maybe one of the aspects that you’re most comfortable with.

Yeah, that’s saying it lightly Josh. (laughter)

How did you decide on getting up there and doing this sort of magic act as the theme for your presentation?

Well, it was at The Creative Entrepeneur’s kind of workshop, I guess—convention, and we were asked to present but do it with kind of some fun. And so I was trying to think, “What would be fun?” And last year, CarrieAnne DeLoach had a review of my Perfect Printing Pouch in her Scrap n’ Art e-zine. And she basically says how she loves magic shows and what could be more intriguing than this and blah blah blah, and she goes on to say that when purchasing a tool which claims to accomplish certain tasks, she wants to be sure that she doesn’t need that pretty assistant that she doesn’t get to bring home with her and make sure that it works.

(laughter)

I kind of had that in my mind that a lot of people, when they see my product, especially that very first thing that I always do where I take a marker and I scribble on vellum and then I wipe it with the pouch and I scribble again and it’s so different, and people always go, “My gosh, that’s magic! What do you have in there, fairy dust?” So it kind of just all hit me that that’s kind of an underlying theme of my products is that they seem that they work like magic because you don’t really have to do very much to get them to work. That’s where it came from.

Well, it was a fun watch, and you look really cute too with your top hat.

(laughter) Thank you. I was very, very nervous and what’s kind of unusual is I was a teacher so I’m used to speaking in front of crowds. I could tell you if you want to know how to use my products or whatever, I can do that pretty easily. But when I was standing there and having to go through a routine; I’m definitely not going to become an actor.

(laughter) It didn’t show that you were nervous, honestly.

(laughter) Thank you again.

Recently, you announced the Best Glue Ever. And this is your latest product?

Yes it is.

You want to just tell me about it?

Sure. It kind of is an offshoot from my last product from last year which was Embellie Gellie and Embellie Gellie let’s you pick up and place tiny objects. And they could be die cuts or letters or little sequins and gems. And it seemed like the natural extension. While you’re picking them up and placing them, you need to have an adhesive that works really well for your project. So all the things that I like and didn’t like in adhesives that were available to me were what went into my list. I worked for about the past year with a number of different companies. When I would get one—I’d get a sample and I’d say, “No, this isn’t sticky enough.”

And they’d be like, “It’s so sticky!”
“It’s not sticky enough.”

And I’d get another sample and it would be, “Well, you know it’s kind of stringy because it’s a solvent.” And so I wanted a water base. So each time I would kind of keep narrowing it down and narrowing it down. And believe it or not, one of the biggest things for me was the bottle. The spout had to be very fine-tipped because I want to be able to use it to put out the teeniest little dots when I’m doing letters that are cut out with my die cut machine. Before this, I’d have one one adhesive that would be in a pen, so it would have a very small tip and I’d have another one that would work with metal and I’d have a different one that I could use with fabric. You know, if you look at my adhesive shelf, it’s crazy! So that’s where I kept going, you know, “I want a glue that can do all materials, that has a fine point; it dries quickly; it’s very tacky.” You know, all of the things I say that this glue does in that little video, and I love it! So that’s why it was called the Best Glue Ever and it works really well will the Embellie Gellie as well.

And is the glue something you had designed to your specifications or did you completely fabricate...?

No, I don’t do the actual chemistry, I just say, “This is what I want.” And then I worked with chemists who give me samples and each time I would give them feedback on what I’m looking for. So it’s basically being made to my specs and then bottled how I needed it to be bottled. And then there was another glue that I like a lot that is similar to this in many ways, and one of the things about that one is that it’s in about the same size bottle in height, but it has .83 ounces in it. My glue has 2 ounces of glue. And it wasn’t something that I realized; for years I had been using a glue—paying for a fairly large bottle—and not realizing that it didn’t have much glue in it, so that was another issue for me.

Amy, is there anything else we should touch on?

Oh Josh, I don’t know. I suppose the question is what’s coming next and I don’t have the answer to that so here I brought it up and don’t even have an answer but I guess one of the things is that I don’t really sit around thinking of what the next product is. It’s more or less what I’m having an issue with so I don’t know.

You’re a person who enjoys being creative. If you see a need, personally, you assume that others might have the very same need.

Absolutely, abolutely.

Cool.

Only what’s getting to me now is the fact that I can’t keep designing products from scratch and do everything in the business. So that’s why the links with other companies are so critical to me, so that I can continue to do the things that I think I do best and not try to do everything.

--

Thanks for Amy Roszak, creator of the Perfect Printing Pouch, for taking some time out to talk to me about her experience at the Craft & Hobby Association’s 2010 Winter Convention & Trade Show in Anaheim, California.

Recommended Links:
Buy The Perfect Printing Pouch
Perfect Printing Pouch Creator Amy Roszak - Part 1
Perfect Printing Pouch Creator Amy Roszak - Part 2
Amy Roszak's ScaPerfect web site

Joshua Birch

	Antique Gold Pochette: With a rich, velvety golden hue, these elegant pochettes are ideal for autumn weddings, 50th anniversaries, or any opulent event that comes to mind.
	Jupiter Pochette*: In a classic but brilliant shade of red, Jupiter pochettes would be a fun and exciting addition to a variety of whimsical invitations.
	Lagoon Pochette: The name says it all - lovely blue green Lagoon pochettes bring to mind images of sun, wind, and sand; a lovely decorative addition to a spring or summer wedding.
	Lapis Lazuli Pochette: In a deep, elegant, and glimmering navy blue, these exquisite pochettes allude to sheer elegance; perfect for weddings and Bar or Bat Mitzvahs.
	Onyx Pochette: As the name implies, Onyx pochettes are a shimmering black shade perfect for a black tie event.

Made by Italy’s Gruppo Cordenons, Stardream’s rich and vibrant surface is one that no other paper manufacturer in the world has been able to replicate. This fine line of papers, cards, pochettes, and envelopes is truly one of a kind, and serves as a prime example of LCI’s commitment to offering distinctive, quality products to its customers.

All Stardream products are acid and chlorine free.

Gruppo Cordenons is a proud member of "Trust the Forest," dedicated to protecting Virgin Forest and promoting social and economic development of local communities.

* Please note, Jupiter pochette is only available in 5 x 7 size.

Recommended Links:
Shop Pochettes By Size and Color

Kristen Desrosier

Although all of our envelopes are wedding quality, some customers inquire about our heaviest, most substantial envelopes. In this article, you'll learn about two of our premium brands, Vice Versa and Old World.

Our Vice Versa envelopes feature a unique ribbed texture, and are available in five popular sizes and two colors, Albus (White) and Lac (Cream). The paper used to make these envelopes is a 91 pound text weight sheet. The following photo is a closeup to show the ribbed texture.

Our newest envelope brand is our own exclusive line called Old World. These premium quality envelopes feature a distinctive European style flap and are available in three sizes and two colors, Blanco Matte (White) and Pearla Matte (Cream). They are also made with 91 pound text weight paper.

Both Old World and Vice Versa have larger lines of available items to compliment the premium envelopes, so you can order matching invitation cards, response cards, response envelopes, programs, and many other items you might need for your special invitation.

Joshua Birch

Designed with simplicity in mind, the new light weight paper comes pre-scored for easy folding, runs smoothly through most printers *, and has a free word template available for download, making it the perfect paper for printing your own brochures and flyers.

This paper is not only easy to work with; but also cost effective and eye-catching. Making your own flyers or brochures can save you lots of money, and allows you to have complete creative control over your final design. Perfect for all your promotional needs, a unique brochure printed on vibrant specialty paper is sure to stand out from the rest.

From small business marketing tools, to event flyers, to programs, the new specialty brochure paper has countless uses. Browse LCI's bold collection of brochure and flyer paper for yourself and see what your imagination creates!

Recommended Links:
LCI Specialty Paper

* Please note brochures with metallic finishes are not recommended for all printers. See individual product pages for printing recommendations.

Kristen Desrosier

While we are always happy to answer customer questions, we are also pleased to tell customers there is a simple guideline they may use to quickly estimate their ribbon needs. Although all creative projects are different, most use ribbon in a similar fashion; tied around the project into a decorative bow. If you are using ribbon in this manner, you may perform a quick estimate by measuring the length or width of the card you will be tying ribbon around, and multiplying this measurement by four or five.

Keep in mind, multiplying your project dimension by four or five will yield average sized loops. If you prefer the look of an oversize bow, consider multiplying by six or seven. It is also important to keep in mind that large loops leave room for error and are easier to work with. Even if you prefer small bows, plan to use more ribbon than less.

To demonstrate this simple guideline in action, we will use a Passion Bat Mitzvah Tuxedo Invitation as an example. As shown here, the gate folds of this invitation are decoratively held closed with approximately 2 1/4 feet (28 inches) of white chiffon ribbon.

Determine the Length or Width of Your Project

The first step in estimating how much ribbon you will need for your project is to determine the length or width of the area that the ribbon will be tied around. In this case, ribbon is tied horizontally around the 5 1/2 inch width of the invitation. Seen to the right, the dimensions of your item can be found on its product page.

Multiply the Measurement by Four or Five

After determining the measurement of the area to be tied, simply multiply it by four or five:

5 1/2" Wide Invitation x 5 = 27 1/2" of Ribbon

Quick, simple, and direct, in no time at all you have an accurate measurement of how much ribbon you will need. This example is further illustrated in the photo below.

Recommended Links:
Video: How To Tie a Custom Bow for Your Creative Project
LCI Bows and Ribbons

Kristen Desrosier

LCI Paper is now offering computer printing templates right on our invitation product pages. Use our templates and sample wording to personalize your invitation with your own custom details.

Start by downloading the template on a product page.

More templates are being added daily, but if a template download link does not appear on a certain product page, request it by clicking the “Ask us a question” link on a product page. We’ll be happy to create the template and make it available.

Next, open the downloaded file. It’s a zip file that contains your templates and several support files.

Open the Printing Tips file. This PDF file contains step by step instructions on how to use our printing templates, how to customize them for your particular invitation, and finally, how to print your invitation with your printer.

Follow the Printing Tips instructions and you’ll be on your way to making your own custom invitations using your computer, your printer, and your creativity.

Our Glider cards are made from substantial card stock in a variety of colors and finishes, and are cut to allow specially-sized invitation cards (in Radiant White or Ecru) to be inserted. The Glider backer and insert card combine to make a unique A9 sized invitation that fits perfectly inside our A9 envelopes.

A search for "Glider" at LCIPaper.com reveals invitation kits, menu kits, and the individual Glider backers and insert cards so you can order exactly what you want.

Joshua Birch

One of the most frequent customer questions is "When I order double wedding envelopes, how many envelopes do I get?"

I'm always happy to reveal that each 50 pack of our double wedding envelope sets include 50 outer envelopes and 50 inner envelopes--not 25 of each as some assume. Our double wedding envelopes are a great value, as each pack includes 100 total envelopes.

For more reading about double envelopes and other wedding envelope options, jump to my article, Wedding Envelopes: Lined, Double, Single - How To Choose.

Recommended Link:
Wedding Envelopes

Joshua Birch

Christen and Kevin live in Thomaston, Maine and are getting married later this year. With products and services purchased from local vendors and LCI Paper, they designed a special save the date ensemble that they shared with us. Enjoy the photos of their Save the Date package and the following interview with the engaged couple.

To save the audio to your computer, right click and "save as."

Here is a transcript of the interview:

I am here with Christen and Kevin and they are tying the knot later this year. They sent me a beautiful save the date card and I had never seen a save the date card like the one that you two shared with us and I have so many questions for you. First, how did you decide on the presentation of a decorative box to house the monogrammed napkin and the glider card? How did these three items come together—the box, the napkin, and the glider?

Christen: For me, it pretty much began with my gown purchase, which I never thought I’d say that, but I was very much inspired by Claire Pettibone. She is a designer out of the Beverly Hills area. She does beautiful work. She actually started as a lingerie designer and designed a friend’s wedding gown and her career just kind of took off. In seeing her line of gowns, she uses a lot of embroidery and just different, fresh types of details that I hadn’t seen before. Conceptually, that sparked a lot of the art direction that I’m bringing into our wedding. The save the date was actually the first piece that we produced for our wedding, so we wanted to really set a tone for the overall event. And a lot of our guests will be from out of town and are going through a lot of effort to be there on our special day, so we really wanted to do something unique, with a personality of its own and set the tone for a south Louisiana wedding.

Christen, are you the one from Louisiana?

I am. I am.

Ok. The French last name I guess fits as well.

That’s correct. (laughter)

Tell me about the creation of your monogrammed napkin. How did you choose the decorative mesh that wraps around it? Was that inspired by the gown you just spoke of?

Yes, actually the back of my gown... I shouldn’t probably say this in front of Kevin. (laughter) There’s an area on the gown where the organza type tool just sort of spills out and it’s a design detail that is fabulous and that inspired using that overlay mesh to give an extra layer to the hankie, basically so it wouldn’t be as plain per say. Everything she [Pettibone] does just really digs into detail and I really wanted to instill some of that in that piece to kind of pick up on some of the elements. The gown has, pretty much top to bottom, really delicate embroidery. That’s what encouraged me to find a local vendor here in Maine to work with on that. And so Kevin and I designed the KC logo for our wedding—that’s our branding—and went to speak to the vendor about it and he was all about it. He had never done hankies before so he was excited. And we got to choose our own colors which we matched the thread to the gown sample swatch that I had. And the mesh just kind of added a little bit of sparkle, right?

Kevin: Yeah.

Christen: ...added a little bit of what it needed, little bit of something extra.

Yeah. Did the glider card happen to fit perfectly on the left flap of the box?

Actually the glider cards were about a half inch too long for that opening panel of the box. The boxes were purchased with the hankies. I knew that the hankie was going to be a good fit for that particular size package. That had all been speced out really early on. The glider card was sort of a secondary thought in terms of trying to figure out the presentation for that opening panel. When I came across LCI and found that particular type of card... I had been doing quite a bit of research and I hadn’t come across this anywhere else. So it immediately struck me and when I saw the size I said, “Oh well, this will be easy. You know, I’ll just have them trimmed of course.” Initially, I was going to do them all by hand if I had to, but again, a local vendor here was super excited that I brought the job to them to print the cards. They made sure that the cards would be a nice snug custom fit for the glider card—the backings . It worked really nice. We actually used a Mohawk sheet that Unisource had provided. The printer was all about recycling our paper samples which was good. So that was one less purchase which helped to save some budget and recycled paper I might not have otherwised used. And the glider card really set that paper stock off from the surface. The interior of the box is sort of a plain cardboard finish and the glider card has a nice, smooth, metallic sheen to it. And then the save the date card—the Mohawk stock—is more of a matte ivory cover stock.

I was assuming you used our glider insert card, but no. Ok.

We actually intentionally saved them because we’re going to reuse them as the table cards.

Oh really? You’re going to fold them?

Yeah, yeah. So we had plans for them and we thought we were going to use them for the save the dates, but then we realized it would probably be easier, since they’re already trimmed, to use them in that way. So they’ll be like little tent cards.

Ok. On your mailing label, you’ve thanked a number of people and companies. Would you care to mention each one and share why you thanked them? That’s kind of intriguing.

Oh sure, sure. Camden Printing is again a local vendor that I met through this project specifically. They run a digital press and I knew I wanted to stick with a one color black imprint. So they did a sample card for me on my sample sheets and all came out really well so I gave them the printing on that piece. They also did the labels for me. So they were a real pinch hitter with this project.

Unisource out of San Diego, California—the corporate office there, I worked with a lot on various creative projects when I was in San Diego just a few months back. And we lived there for about five years. They’ve always been a really great resource—creative resource—for me and I was happy to actually use some of the materials that they had provided for this project.

I’ve been in house—corporate in house—for quite a few years now, so I very rarely get to do these types of creative projects where, from start to finish, kind of like the sky’s the limit.

LCI of course, you guys. The glider card and that eighth inch black satin ribbon—those two little details, they made all the difference in this piece. Had I not found them, I don’t think I would have the same piece that I made. I think those were important details. LCI is a really creative company. I love the DIY aspect. Their marketing’s really good for what they produce and what they sell.

And Embroider This, who’s out of Massachusetts; that was also a new company for me. In researching the embroidery idea of which this was my first embroidery project, they really came though in terms of their pricing is really great. The quality is really great. They had a variety of handkerchiefs and other lace elements to choose from. We had a pretty good selection to choose from. They were great about samples and letting us see the product before we purchased.

And then Squeegees which is another local vendor that I met through this project; they actually encouraged me to push forward with the embroidered monogram. After showing them the artwork and the actual packaging and the handkerchief of course, they could really visualize it and see it working. They did a sample for me as well as a few test runs. And then we got the imprint positioned just where we wanted it and sized just like we wanted it. They were really easy to work with.

Pen Ventures is another local vendor here in Maine; a shop that sells rubber stamps and different types of scrapbooking materials. I went in for inspiration and came out definitely inspired. And that’s how I chose my Fleur-de-lis stamp that was used on the wrap on the exterior of the package.

Of course my mom, Sharon Bourgeois, who’s in Louisiana, helped us to fund this fantastic project and we’re very grateful. She’s excited that her only daughter is finally getting married.

And Gail Singer which is Kevin’s mom—she’s in New Jersey—was also a super huge help in this project. A little learning curve; we had to rip the backing... When they embroidered the handkerchief, there’s this white...

Kevin: Like a paper type backing...

Christen: Yeah, a paper type backing that we had to rip with our fingers which were very numb by the end of the weekend. But we finally got it all ripped off and out of the little tiny grooves that are between the embroidered imprint and got them cleaned up a bit—enough to at least send.

Cool, thank you. Kevin, do you mind if I put you on the hot seat for the next one?

Kevin: No, that’s not a problem at all.

If you were to describe the save the date ensemble in just few words, how would you describe it?

A few words is just my style.

Alright (laughter)

It’s simple, Southern elegance in and eight inch by eight inch package essentially.

I like that very much. Well done.

It’s really neat to see all the details kind of pulled together—the Southern style, the handkerchief and the lace details, and seeing Christen work so hard on all the design elements, bringing in the Fleur-de-lis and the stamps. And I’ve spent a couple hours late nights assembling the packaging...was just a lot of fun too, and there’s a lot of fun in the creative process of being able to spend time together and enjoy each other as well as being able to put something together that looks great.

Christen: Tell them you enjoyed cutting all the tulle; that was your favorite. (laughter)

Kevin: Oh and I loved... Yeah, I was magnificent at cutting all the tulle as well and let me tell you, that was just an adventure. I’m an engineer as my brain thinks about how exactly to cut and minimize waste, all that fun stuff as well.

Ah. It’s nice to hear you talk about doing something together and that’s really what do it yourself invitations are all about I think, is when you can spend time and make it fun for each other.

Yep, I completely agree. I mean it was just... The late nights, you know, working on it and having fun...

Christen: There were a lot of late nights. (laughter)

So if this is your save the date, what are you planning for the actual wedding invitation?

Ok, so a lot of our friends and family—our recipients in general, vendors included—thought that we went a little over the top with our save the date, but again, it was a tag team project. We really had this concept and we wanted to push it forward. For the invitation, what inspired the size was the save the date because I wanted to stay square.

Ok.

But I’m going to go smaller, minimizing it by three inches. We’re going to go to a five by five, approximately. The invitation card itself will have a piece of fabric. "Moda" is the brand name. "Fig" is the actual design and it’s a charm square--a fabric charm square. And Moda, the company, sells a variety of fabric charm squares and different types of designs and Fig was just sort of inspirational because it really had a vintage look. It had a lot of rose tones and greens and reminds you of spring. And our save the date was sort of monotone—Kevin and I were just talking about this—sort of monotone in color which was intentional. With the invitation, we wanted to just breathe a little more life into the design. In using a similar element to the handkerchief but without going the route of embroidery because that was an added expense, we decided to use the fabric swatches—these charm squares—that are already cut to the size we need so there’s less labor involved. The design—what’s cool about it is that no two are alike kind of thing so each invitation will essentially have a different design because it will be a different fabric swatch. Instead of them being per unit cost, they come in packs of almost fifty. That saves budget also. We’re going to use a backboard. It’s called “butter board” is a coin term for it—sort of a recycled paper backing that’s really soft to the touch, sort of ivory in tone. And we’re going to put wax paper behind our fabric charms and iron them onto the backboard. So it will be about an eighth inch thick. And then we’re going to use the same Mohawk sheet—the ivory cover stock that we used—with a one color black imprint like we used for the save the date, a typeset in a very similar manner, and affix the card to the backing. So that will be the main invitation piece and then we’ll also add in a response card and map directions. And those smaller pieces will be in the little five by five packet as well.

Please just tell me that your wedding is going to be full of so much personalization as your invitations.

(laughter)

I hope!

I hope so too. It’s going to be a very simple wedding. I mean creatively, I know we’re going though a lot of process so like Kevin says, this is what we enjoy doing out of all the details. It’s in south Louisiana. It’s in a garden. It’s informal but yet formal and everything’s in one place. It’s at a small bed and breakfast—a three bedroom bed and breakfast—on a family estate in St. Francisville, Louisiana and everything is very vintage and heirloom and antique and old in style. We’re going to have our ceremony, a cocktail hour and then a dinner/reception afterwards, all in one house on the outer deck near a fountain overlooking a little pond. We’ll have a lot of opportunity to be personal, hopefully, with our guests.

Kevin: One example of us personalizing the event are the food choices. You know there’s a lot of southern flair from Christen’s background. I’m originally from the northeastern United States so there’s a lot of New England type tradition. Additionally, we spend a lot of time in southern California so there’s a lot of Mexican, southern California, kind of Tex Mex type feel to it as well. Kind of bringing all those elements together in a somewhat appeasing way for the palate, but being able to personalize in that way to share what we’ve been through in the last couple years of our life together and the experiences we’re having and where we’ve been in bringing those elements into the meal portion of the wedding.

Very nice you guys. I wish you so much happiness as you spend the next few months planning together. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Congratulations.

Christen: Thank you.

Thank you both for spending a little time with me and the LCI customers and potential customers and folks who might be thinking of putting together their own save the date card. I’m sure you’re going to inspire them. So thank you once again for taking the time out.

--

Christen & Kevin own OneWillow Studios, a boutique design and brand communications company rooted in Mid-Coast Maine. They specialize in Art Direction, Graphic Design, Brand Identity, Packaging/Product Design, Web Design, Marketing, Advertising, Publishing, Copywriting, Photography, and Illustration. For more information, contact Christen Bourgeois-Singer at (207) 354-4110 or email cbourgeois@me.com.

Recommended Link:
Glider Cards

Joshua Birch